November 2000
Lost 50 Pounds!
Before: 170 lbs.
After: 120 lbs.
Lost: 50 lbs.
July 2001, 120 lbs.
July 4, 2003
118 lbs.
Weight creeping back up to 134
for 21 years, and I have a 16-year-old daughter. We live on the coast of Maine in Scarborough. I am a
registered nurse, and I work in the labor and delivery department at Maine Medical Center, which is a
large teaching hospital.
I had always carried that extra 10 pounds that I wanted to get rid of, but I had never let myself get above a
size 10 until 1996. It was then that I took a new job as a medical underwriter for a major health insurance
company, and suddenly, I found myself spending 8 hours a day sitting behind a desk reviewing medical
insurance applications and medical claims. As an RN at the hospital, I had always been on the run, so my
body wasn't used to being so idle. To make things worse, I started snacking at my desk –sometimes 2 or
3 times a day! During the 8-and-a-half months that I worked there, I gained 12 pounds.
I'd always hated exercise, but when I worked at the hospital, I made myself climb the 5 flights of stairs to
reach my floor each night, telling myself that that was my exercise program! After my job with the
insurance company, I returned to the hospital to discover that with the weight gain, I could no longer
climb the several flights of stairs without stopping to catch my breath. I was more out of shape than I
knew! It surprised me when I realized that only the year before, I had visited London and climbed the 378
stairs at St. Paul's Cathedral to reach the Stone Gallery where you could get a bird's eye view of the city,
and I had done so with no difficulty! I remembered thinking at that time, "Gee, I'm not as out of shape
as I thought I was!" That had certainly changed in a year's time.
I had hoped I would lose the weight since I had returned to my active RN job at the hospital, but
unfortunately, the snacking continued, and my weight kept creeping higher. I had taught the ADA Food
Plan to moms with gestational diabetes, so I tried to follow that, but I didn't stick with it. I work nights,
and people would run down to the cafeteria and bring up pizza, chips, candy, or ice cream. I gained about
10 pounds every year.
At my top weight, I was very out of shape. It was hard to tie my shoes. I couldn't bend over, so I had to
pull my leg up to my knee. I had no waistline. I'd be invited to go places, and I wouldn't go. I had
nothing to wear because I'd gone from a size ten to a size sixteen, but I refused to buy a sixteen, and my
fourteens were too snug. The only clothes I felt comfortable in were my hospital scrubs. I had no self
confidence. Around Christmas of 2000, I looked at a picture of myself, and I really saw myself! "How
did I ever get to be this size?" I wondered. "How did I let myself gain this much weight? This can't be
me!" That was my turning point.
I knew I needed to lose weight, and that was going to be my New Year's Resolution, but I had no plan in
mind until I was getting ready for work that New Year's Eve. Richard was on QVC with his "Lose Weight
and Celebrate" package, and he had 3 Cinderella stories with him who had each lost over 50 pounds! I
figured I was worth the $40.00, so I decided to just order it and try it.
My package arrived on January 5. I opened it up, and I said, "Okay, this is it! I'm gonna start today!"
That was the day that changed my life! Using the FoodMover, I quickly saw that I had been eating
wrong. I'd go to Dunkin' Donuts and get a bagel and think I was having only a couple of carbohydrate
exchanges. Boy, was I wrong! I became more aware of what I was putting into my body. I knew I was
eating too much fat. I bought myself a food scale, and I started weighing and measuring all my food.
That was an eye opener! I lost 6 pounds my first week.
Now remember, I had always hated exercise. My brother is a big exercise freak, and he used to always tell
me, "You need to exercise and lose weight." I didn't want to hear that, so I'd run the other direction! I
didn't want to do the exercise, and I thought I could lose the weight without it. It took me about a week
after I started the FoodMover to put the tape in for the first time. I had watched "The Richard Simmons
Show" in the eighties, and I remembered how funny Richard was, so I looked at the tape out of curiosity.
I thought I'd watch it and see if I could do it. I'm not very coordinated, and I didn't think I would be able
to follow the steps. I watched "Broadway Blast Off". It wasn't too long, and I thought, "Okay, I can do
this." I did make up a few steps along the way until I got the hang of it, but thanks to Richard, I learned
that exercise could be fun!
I did that same tape every other day for the first week, and after that, I made myself do it daily for the next
2 or 3 weeks. By the end of the first month, I had lost 17 pounds! Then I decided I was going to try the
hour workout, and I was surprised when I made it through the whole tape! After that, I just kept going.
Every day I told myself I had to exercise. About a month into it, I added the toning. I didn't love it, but
the losses kept coming every week, and I could really see a difference, so I did it. I started to see definition
in my shoulders. I got my waistline back. I thought it had long left me! I had always had very ample
hips and thighs that rubbed together, so when my doctor told me during my pregnancy years earlier that
he thought I might have to have a c-section because I had very small hips, I looked at him like he had 4
heads! Once I started exercising, my hips and thighs just seemed to melt away, and I realized that my hips
were a lot smaller that I thought they were!
I also walked. I live only 2 miles from the beach, so when warmer weather came, I went down to the
beach and walked about 3 miles. I'd challenge myself and say, "I'm going to walk down to the pier and
back." It took me about an hour the first time. I can do that same walk in about 45 minutes now!
Since I work nights, I had to plan and take my own food. I'd check my FoodMover to see what windows I
had left for the day, and I'd just pack up what I had left. I'd eat around 2:00 AM, and then I'd have a
piece of fruit around 5:00 AM. The hardest part was when people ordered out. I'd just say, "No, thank
you." When the food came, I'd avoid the break room where the food was. I'd hang out in the patients'
rooms, or if it was slow, I'd get on the Website and see if there was anybody I could talk to. I'd type,
"Help, they just got pizza in here!" My coworkers started seeing the difference, and they'd say, "Wow,
you're looking good!" Eventually they quit asking me if I wanted food when they ordered.
In July of 2001, I hit my goal weight. I had lost 50 pounds! I maintained it for about 14 months, but
then I ran into a problem. I decided to make a change in my work schedule and go from 8-hour shifts to
12-hour shifts so that I could be home an extra night with my teenage daughter. On the days I didn't
work, I made sure I exercised, but there were 3 days each week when I couldn't make the time to fit it in.
Without the exercise to stabilize my blood sugar on those days, I got hungry earlier, and I started eating
more at work. I was picking at food. I'd have saltines with peanut butter to get me through. Doctors
would bring up candy and chocolate covered raisins, and they'd put them on the desk, and of course, they
found their way to my mouth. I gained 15 pounds back over an 8-month period. I saw my weight
starting to creep back up, and I'd say, "I'm going to do the Blast Off week again," but it would only last
for a day. After that first 10 pounds came back on, I'd lost my motivation.
I had signed up for the Spring 2003 Cruise to Lose back in May of 2002, just before I started gaining. I
wanted to cancel the cruise because I felt like such a failure. I was embarrassed. I knew that lots of people
who knew I had lost weight were going, and I felt like I had let them down. With my work schedule, I
wasn't getting into the Clubhouse as much, and some of those friendships were fading. I was struggling
with some problems in my family. If I had booked the cruise by myself, I probably wouldn't have gone,
but I had made a commitment to a roommate. I didn't want to leave her hanging, so I went.
Linda Woodson was on the cruise. I had never met her, but because I had applied to be in the
infomercial, she recognized me and said, "I know you! Why weren't you at `Meet the Pros'?" I said,
"Because I don't feel like a pro. I've put weight back on, and I feel like a failure." She said, "We've all been
there. We've all put weight back on!" She made me realize that it could come off again. I just needed to
work at it.
At one of the Project Me classes, Richard said, "Some of you are going to go back home and make some
changes." That really hit me. I knew what my problem was. The 12-hour shifts were keeping me from
doing what I wanted to do for my health. If I hadn't gone on that cruise, I'd still be putting weight on!
It was exactly what I needed to remotivate me!
The day after I got home, I was scheduled for a class at work. I spoke to my supervisor and told her that
as soon as I could, I'd like to go back to 8-hour shifts. Now I'm working shorter shifts again, and I'm
exercising every day. It was harder to lose it the second time, but I'm back to my goal weight, and I plan
to keep it that way!
I'm happy where I am now. I'm turning heads again! Old friends who knew me heavier and don't know
I've lost weight don't recognize me. I had hoped to get back into a size 8 or 10, but because of all the
exercise, I'm actually able to wear a size 4! I have so much more energy and self-confidence. I'm more
apt to go out with friends. I'm more likely to do things on the spur of the moment – just take off
somewhere. I can bend down and touch my toes. I can cross my legs. It's easier to tie my shoes. I don't
get breathless going up the stairs anymore. In fact, sometimes I forget to stop at my floor, and I have to
walk back down a flight or two!
If you've got weight to lose, stay focused! Take it one day at a time. Make exercise a part of your
everyday life. I can't stress that enough! The exercise is so important. I'm in better shape at 45 than I
was in high school!
Get yourself a good support group. Surround yourself with people who are there to help you. The
Clubhouse is great for that! I am so grateful to Richard and my friends here for all their love and
support. Don't let a bad day turn into a bad week or a bad month. We all have them. Don't give up!
MICHELE'S TOP 3 TIPS FOR SUCCESS!
1. Stay focused and take it one day at a time.
2. Make exercise a priority. Find time to do it, even if it is just half an hour a day.
3. Don't give up!
Michele’s quote:
“I'm in the best shape of my life!”
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